Stocking toe protector



June 22, 1948. Ejw. TOWN STOCKING TOE PROTECTOR Filed June 29, 1945 INVENTOR- Edwnrd W15 ATTORNEY.

IMPREG/IMTED n rnv mqx Patented June 22, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

3 Claims.

My invention relates to a stocking toe protector, that is to 'say, a device adapted to be worn over the toe portion of the foot, outside the stocking, for the purpose of protecting the stocking against wear of that portion of thefabric thereof which is ordinarily disposed between the nail of the large toe and the inner lining of the shoe.

It is, of course, well known to most everyone that the most vulnerable portion of a stocking is that part of the fabric which is disposed between the relatively hard edge of the large toe nail and the inner lining of the shoe, as it is at that point that stockings usually fail first, and this notwithstandin the reinforcement which is commonly knitted into the fabric of the stocking at that point.

The reason that the stocking becomes worn through at the point above mentioned is that the stocking, after being placed on the foot of the wearer, moves in unison with the foot and, as walking occurs, any motion between the front of the foot and the interior of the shoe will inevitably cause the stocking to be worn through at the point where the hard edge of the large toe nail presses the fabric of the stocking against the inner lining of the shoe and rubs the same on the lining as movement of the foot within the shoetakes place.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a simple, durable and efficient device, which may be inexpensively made, and which will serve to minimize wear at the toe-portion of the stocking, thereby increasing the useful life of the stocking to a considerable extent.

The nature and characteristic features of the invention will be more readily understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming part hereof, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of the leg and foot of a person with a toe protector embodying the main features of the present in ventllon shown in place thereon;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a toe protector detached and distended to shape to be placed upon the foot of the wearer;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of one of the pieces from which the toe protector is made; and

Fig. 4 is a similar view of another piece which is employed in the preferred form of the invention.

It will, of course, be understood that the description and drawing herein are illustrative merely, and that various changes and modifications y be made in the structure therein shown 2 without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Referring to the drawing in the form of the invention therein shown, the protector is preferably made of three pieces of material. The material preferably used for the main or body portion of the toe protector is a fly netting woven on a leno loom with a count of about 9 or 10 to the inch, that is to say, with each warp or pair of doup threads separated at a spacing of 9 or 10 to the inch, and the weft threads being beat up in the weaving to a similar spacing.

The material is cut in pieces lll shaped substantially as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing, one of said pieces being cut from untreated material lill its usual condition. The other similarly shaped piece Ill is cut from material which has been treated by dipping the same in a bath of heated parafiin wax whereby the fibres of the fabric will have absorbed a certain amount of the paraffin for a purpose to be presently explained.

Also, in, the preferred form of the invention, there is employed an additional reinforcing piece II which is separately shown in Fig. 4 of the drawing. This piece II is preferably made of material of a much finer weave, say of a count of about 20 per inch in both the Weft and warp. This material from which the piece H is cut is also dipped prior to its cutting in a bath of heated paraffin wax. and by reason of the finer weave will take up and retain a larger quantity of the paraffin.

The pieces which are cut to the shapes as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawing, are superposed and stitched together as at 12 along the side and front edges to form a sack like structure which, in the fiat, is of the outline similar to the piece lll shown in Fig. 3.

Preferably the material is cut on the bias so as to provide a sack which when distended will take the form as shown in Fig. 2, and when placed over the toe portion of the foot of the wearer, after the stockin has been placed on the foot may, by reason of the diagonal disposition of the warp and Weft threads of the fabric, be readily pulled to shape to conform to the front end of the wearers foot with the stocking there- When the protector is thus placed over the stocking, it will be noted that the reinforcing piece II, as well as the front end of the member w of the main body portion of the protector, will be disposed over the front end of the foot and will be interposed between the hard edge of The paraihn wax, which is preferably used, is

of such characteristics that the same will soften but will not melt at body temperature whereby the same will, to a certain extent, act as an adhesive to hold the protector in its proper position on the front end of the foot, and will alsoserve asa ,lu-

bricator so that when any movement takes place between the stockinged foot and the inner lining of the shoe, the wax will permit the same to move reely, and the frictional action which usually causes the stocking to wear through at this point will be largely eliminated;

Furthermore, a" portion of the wax maybe causedito pass into the'stocking' fabric-and will serve to strengthen the same as it is, of course, well known that waxed fabrics will resist Wear to a much greater extent than untreated ones.

It should, of coursabe understood ,that'it is not essential that the device be-made of, fly netting, as above described, but that various other kinds of woven, knitted, or netted textile fabrics may if desired, be utilized for this purpose. Also, theuse of paraifin wax is not absolutely essential, as various other waxes may be found suitable or, in some instances, the wax may be omitted entirely.

It will be seen that there is thus provided a simple and efiicient device, which maybe inexpensively made, which can be quickly and readily placed on the toe portion of the root; ofthewearer, and which, when soplaced, may be worn without discomfort, but which will effectively serveto lengthen the life of the stocking.

When the open mesh textile material employed in the device is dipped in the bath of heated parwax, as hereinbefore described,- the threads will not only become impregnated with the wax but will also have an external coating applied thereon. However, thecoating oi the threads should not be of such extent as to close the openings between the threads, as in that event-circulation of air through the device-would-beepna vented.

I claim:

1. A toe protector for minimizing wear of the toe portion of a stocking comprising a sack like device to be worn on the outside of the stocking made of two pieces of open mesh textile material which is readily conformable to the toe portion of the foot of the wearer, at least :one of said pieces being impregnated with a wax, and an additional reinforcing piece secured at the toe and also made of a similar material but of a closer weave and also impre nated with a wax.

2. A protector for minimizing wear of the toe portion of a stocking comprising a sack like device-,tobe-worn on the outside of the stocking and adapted to cover the toe portion of the foot of the wearer, said device having upper and lower portions,,made of open mesh textile material and connected to each other at the sides and front, the threads of at least the upper portion being impregnated and coated with a wax, the device being readilyconformable to the toe portion of the foot,;and the openings between the threads of thematerial being free of the wax thereby to permit free circulation of air therethrough,

'3. A protector for minimizing wear of the toe portion of a stocking comprising a sack like device to be worn on the outside-ofthe stocking;

and adapted to cover the toe portion of the foot of the wearer, said device being made of upper and low-er pieces of nettin connected to each other at the sides and front, the threads of at least the upper piece being impregnatedand coated with a wax, the material being cut on the bias whereby the device may be made to conform readily to the toe portion of the foot, and the openings between the threads of the netting being free-oi wax thereby to permit free circulation of airtherethrough.

EDWARD W. TOWN.

REFERENCES CITED.

The following references are of record in the.

file of this patent: 

